The Child of Time
by horsesrock8
Summary: What if the events in Journey's End had changed in that split second that Donna touched the hand? What would have happened then? JE re-write because the actual ending was too sad. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This story is essentially a re-write of JE because I didn't like the ending (too sad!). So I'm making up my own! Mwahahahaha... I know that there has been countless JE fics, and I'm just adding my own to the mix._

_Do I really need to say that I don't own Doctor Who, because I don't. Seriously. I have never owned it and unless I come into a LOT of money in the near future, and the BBC is suddenly up for sale then it will stay that way. So don't get any ideas...;)_

_The story picks off about 12 mintues into JE, just after the TARDIS is brought onto the crucible. I think you'll work it out..._

Donna paused before the doors of the TARDIS, her hands outsretched to follow the Doctor, Rose and Jack.

"Donna! It's no safer in there..." came the Doctor's call from outside of the TARDIS.

There it was again...That strange heartbeat...Donna could feel it inside her head, inside her body, as if someone had left an unsually loud soundspeaker next to her ears. Her entire body felt every beat as if it was her own. She turned back towards the console; it seemed to be coming from inside the TARDIS...

Suddenly the TARDIS doors shut.

"Doctor! What have you done!?" Cried Donna, her hands banging on the doors.

"It wasn't me! I didn't do anything..."

"Oi! OI! I'm not staying behind!"

Donna continued to slam her fists against the door, as she listened to the Doctor and the Supreme Dalek bicker. Then suddenly, the TARDIS lurched, throwing Donna far from the doors.

"DOCTOR!" she screamed.

Clinging for dear life on the railing, she slowly tried to get up closer to the console, screaming all the way. Suddenly, glass was flying all around her; the TARDIS was on fire. Donna could barely see, the fire was blinding her and she continued to be rocked around. Bits of the console were exploading in front of her, the smoke was everywhere; she couldn't breathe...

There is was again...That sound...Everything fell silent as the heartbeat surrounded Donna, she could hear nothing else except it...

Donna's eyes fell to the hand, the Doctor's hand. It was glowing...

She reached out her hand towards it...a brillant golden glow started to surround her...it encompassed her...but it didn't stop there...

The energy suddenly spiked as a section of the console blew, and Donna fell backwards, out of the glow. When she opened her eyes again, the hand was sitting there, but instead the glow was seeping 

into the TARDIS, the part that blew. Donna watched, her eyes wide open in shock as the glow went from the hand and into the console, down into depths she never realised existed. She stared at the beautiful glow; it hummed as the hand's energy was absorbed into it.

Suddenly the TARDIS lurched once again, sending Donna flying. Her hand caught a railing to prevent herself from falling too far.

This was it...after all this time, she was going to die. She had survived so much; the Adipose, the Vashta Nerada, they all seemed like long lost stories. The TARDIS was exploading, it rocked her about like a paper plane caught in a hurricane.

Then all was still. Donna opened her eyes, and unglued herself from the railings. _She was still alive..._ The fires has disappeared, and the smoke was slowly floating away. The console was no longer exploading.

"What the..."

Donna slowly got to her feet, unsure of what just happened. She slowly walked over to the console, silently debating which buttons to try and press to see if they worked or not.

Suddenly the doors of the TARDIS swung open, and Donna twirled on the spot and her eyes widened even further they already were.

"Now, _seriously_, would you cut it out!? I'm old enough to..."

Donna had to blink twice. For a second she thought that Rose had walked back in. It was a young girl, no older than seventeen, had just walked right into the TARDIS. She wore tight blue jeans with long brown boots. A light green shirt could been seen underneath a leather bomber jacket and a long white scarf. Her wavy blonde hair was long, stopping midway down her back. She froze when she caught sight of Donna. Her brown eyes rolled past Donna, and to the rest of the TARDIS, which was still smoking slightly.

"Who are you?" Demanded Donna.

Donna stared at the strange intruder. _Where on earth did she come from? _The girl's eyes then locked with Donna's, as both women stared at eachother for a second. Then the blonde girl then backed down the ramp, her hands feeling for the TARDIS doors. She opened them, turned around to take a good look outside, then spun back to Donna and shut the doors. She blinked several times and shook her head in disbelief.

"No...WAY."

"Who are you?" Repeated Donna.

The girl's deep brown eyes suddenly lit up, and she stared at Donna.

"Donna Noble?" She asked meekly, her eyes suddenly nervous.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh boy." Groaned the girl, running her hands through her hair in a way that reminded Donna distinctly of the Doctor's 'I know what's going on, but I really hope I'm wrong' look.

She sighed deeply and walked up to the console, where Donna stood staring.

"Were you just on board the Dalek crucible?" She asked, her eyes searching Donna's.

Donna narrowed her eyes and took a step backwards.

"Who are you?" She repeated, only much quieter this time.

The girl nodded slowly, taking Donna's answer as a yes. She then twirled on the spot, throwing her jacket and scarf over the organic columns of the TARDIS in a manner that was casual, almost like she did this everyday. Yet again, Donna found herself being reminded of similar behaviour adopted by the Doctor. The girl then turned to the console, pulled out an elastic from her jeans and twirled her hair up into a loose pony tail.

"You still haven't told me who you are!" Called Donna, her voice much louder than before.

"Give me a second Donna..." Replyed the girl, her voice trailing off as she scanned the console, examinging each individual button, knob and lever.

She flexed her fingers, as if she was preparing for a piano recital, but instead she started to jump around the console, pulling at several levers at the same time, and pushing several buttons.

"Don't _give me a second Donna_," retorted Donna, her spark firing up again. "One second, the TARDIS is exploading, the next you walk in and make yourself at home! Oi! Are you even listening to me!?"

The girl glanced up from her work at Donna and grinned.

"I knew I'd like you."


	2. Chapter 2

"_Don't give me a second Donna," retorted Donna, her spark firing up again. "One minute, the TARDIS is exploding, the next you walk in and make yourself at home! Oi! Are you even listening to me!?" _

_The girl glanced up from her work at Donna and grinned._

"_I knew I'd like you."_

"What?"

Whatever Donna was expecting in reply, that certainly wasn't it.

"I knew I'd like you." The girl repeated, still grinning.

"Wait, you _knew_ you would meet me? You _knew _that this was going to happen?" screeched Donna.

"Well...I knew it _would_ happen. I just didn't know _when..._" The girl trailed off and looked up at the shocked red haired woman standing a few metres away from her.

A blip from the console stole her attention away from Donna and she pulled the screen around and peered at it for a few seconds. Donna stared at the circle like language on it, and wondered how on earth this girl knew what it was saying.

"Phew. Everything's good now. All nice and repaired!" announced the girl, spinning on the spot to show another large grin.

Donna took a deep breath.

"What...the...hell...is...going...ON?" bellowed Donna.

The girl raised her eyebrows at the sudden outburst, and then shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure I know what's happened...but then again he never did explain it to me properly..." the girl paused to make a brief eye contact with Donna before starting up again.

"You touched the hand, which just happened to be full of regeneration energy. Instantaneous biological metacrisis!" She clapped her hands together, and looked at Donna, who stared blankly back.

"Well...half of one anyway. It was _supposed_ to happen, **but**, at that exact same time as it was supposed to take place, this part-" she motioned to a particular section of the console, "exploded! Opened up the heart of the TARDIS, and it soaked it up!" she smiled.

Donna blinked, obviously not understanding a word the girl was saying.

"The regeneration energy," She added quickly, "not the actual hand..." her voice trailed off as her eyes darted to the forgotten piece of anatomy that lay untouched on the TARDIS floor.

Grey, wrinkly and gross.

"Eugh..." Muttered Donna.

"My thoughts exactly." Agreed the girl.

"Ok..let's assume for the moment that I understand all of this..."started Donna. "I still don't see how this tells me how _you_ got here! And for that matter, what on earth's a intantaneous biological metacrisis?"

"Yes...well...you'll find out about the metacrisis later on, but how I got here? That bit's kinda complicated." The girl suddenly looked rather nervous, a contrast to the broad smile that had been all over her face only moments before.

Donna stared at her blankly, curious to the change in her behaviour.

"Try me."

The girl sighed and leaned back against the console, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ears.

"When the regeneration energy was absorbed by the heart of the TARDIS, it gained sort of like a piece of the Doctor, and using that it was able to look into his own personal future. The Doctor had a sort of program, which would alert him if there was any...uh..._Time Lord_ activity." The girl looked up at Donna, who stared right back.

"Um...Oh I know!" The girl jumped up and clapped her hands together. "You remember what happened after the whole Sontaran thing with Martha-"

"How do you know about that?" Interrupted Donna, her face a look of complete shock.

The girl continued on, ignoring Donna's question.

"-the TARDIS took control, and took you all to Messaline 4, where Jenny was-"

"How do you know about Jenny?"

"Can you let me finish?"

Donna raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, and leant against the rails while crossing her arms with a look that told the girl to continue. She obliged.

"The hand took you there because it one, it's hooked up to the TARDIS, and the TARDIS can basically see all of time and space, and two, it sensed the Time Lord, well, Time Lady presence of Jenny. That's sort of what's happened here."

It was as if a light had suddenly switched on inside Donna's head. She suddenly stared at the girl with a renewed intensity.

"You're a Time Lord." It was a statement, not a question.

The girl nodded slowly, keeping her eyes diverted from Donna's.

"The regeneration energy gave the TARDIS a look into the Doctor's personal future. She saw a Time Lord, so she brought you...to me." Her voice was quiet, and in a tone that made Donna slightly nervous.

"A Time Lord from the Doctor's future?" she asked.

"Yes."

For once in her life, Donna had no idea what to make of this new revelation. One part of her wanted to cry out in joy, this meant that the Doctor was not alone any more. The other part felt that this was impossible, the Doctor himself had said countless times that the Time Lords are extinct and that would never change for anything. So Donna ignored both sides of herself.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly, unsure of the girl's reaction might be.

"You can call me Bella. If I told you my full name you'd probably die of fright." And she smiled again.

There was a light, joking side to her voice that hid a darker meaning that only Donna would have understood. The Doctor does not reveal his name either.

"Well, Bella, I don't know what your plan is, but if anything, I have to get back to the crucible. They-the daleks- they've got- I mean, the Doctor's there and-" started Donna, the fear creeping back into her voice.

"Don't worry. This is why I'm here." grinned Bella.

She turned back to the console, and her hand paused over a particularly large lever, before bringing it down, which sent the TARDIS off again. The engines roared to life, and the console lit up, which made a huge change from the shattered state it was in only a little while ago. Bella held onto the console itself as the ancient time machine jumped into the vortex.

"Where are we going?" called Donna over the grinding of the engines.

"Why, we're going to save the universe of course!"


	3. Chapter 3

"_Where are we going?" called Donna over the grinding of the engines._

"_Why, we're going to save the universe of course!"_

Donna remained silent was she watched Bella dance around the console. It was obvious she was very familiar with all its controls. If anything, the trip was smooth, which is unusual when the Doctor's driving. It gave Donna the opportunity to watch Bella without the constant need to cling to something. _A Time Lord..._

They were supposed to be extinct. Hadn't the Doctor said that numerous times? It's why...why he's so lonely. Donna had seen him countless times; sitting on the console floor, various pieces of technology scattered around him, yet he pays them no attention. Those times when he thought he was alone, when no one could see him; that's when Donna could see the depth in his eyes. Those chocolate coloured eyes hid a dark and terrible past, which almost broke Donna's heart to see.

And then he would look up, and notice Donna standing there. He would jump up, and start babbling on about something else, and plant a large smile on his face, that Donna knew full well was forced. Anything to distract himself from whatever it was he thought about so much.

"_I'm always OK."_

The unspoken rules of travelling with the Doctor were clear.

Her eyes turned to the young Time Lady dancing around the console. She was so young, so vibrant, there was no sadness in her eyes. No darker past hidden behind well honed defences that Donna recognised so well.

_She seems too happy...except..._

She was suddenly very quiet when Donna realised that she was a Time Lord, she refuses to reveal her name...

"OK! First...we need to find out what the Daleks are up too..." Bella's voice cut through Donna's thoughts, bringing her attention back to the present.

"What's happened so far? I know that the Daleks have put Medusa Cascade one second out of sync with the universe; as well as taking twenty-seven seemingly random planets out of their place of space and time..." her voice trailed off as she stared at the screen in surprise.

"What? What is it?" asked Donna, peering over Bella's shoulders.

"The ultimate pattern," Replied Bella. "Whoever designed this...well the daleks did, but... wow..."

She leant back and exhaled.

"That is some scary stuff. Anyway, just got a bit distracted," she turned away from the screen to Donna. "Is there anything else? What else did...uh...the _Doctor_ say?"

Donna paused before answering, the spark of curiosity rising again. She looked at Bella curiously, and she quickly diverted her eyes. Why did she have trouble saying the Doctor's name? Donna decided she would let that one go, for the moment at least. There were more important things at stake than the mysteries of this Time Lady, and she could wait.

"Sarah Jane said they were rounding up the people, some kind of experiment...I don't know..."

Bella looked relieved that Donna hadn't pressed her for an explanation, and a look of concentration passed over it. She turned back to the console and clapped her hands.

"Wait...did you say Sarah Jane?" Bella turned back around to Donna with a look of surprise on her face.

"Yeah," Replied Donna. "What about her?"

"Sarah Jane Smith? Seriously?" There was genuine surprise on the girl's face.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing it's just...wow. I haven't seen her in ages..." Her voice trailed off, leaving Donna more confused than before.

"OK, We've gotta find out about what's going on..._but_, I'll need to take us in on minimal power, so they won't be able to detect us...hopefully."

Bella glanced at Donna and grinned, before letting her hands go to work on the TARDIS console, slowly powering down.

"Wait, did you say _hopefully_?"

"Ohh, got something! The planets, they're activating the planetary alignment field..." Bella's eyes widened, as a look of fear mixed with shock spread over her face.

"What? What is it? What's going on?" asked Donna.

Bella just stared. Donna suddenly grew nervous.

"What are the planets doing? Bella?"

"Z-neutrino energy flattened by the alignment of the planets into a single string...No...No, that's..."

Bella's face was full of utter shock, her eyes widening in fear. She backed away from console, shaking her head, refusing to believe what was happening.

"What? What is it? Bella? What's happening? What are the Daleks doing?" cried Donna.

"Electrical energy, Donna. Every atom in existence is held together by electrical energy. Single string z-neutrinos compressed by the twenty-seven planets cancels it." Her voice was hollow.

"What does that mean?" asked Donna, afraid of the answer.

"A wave like that can destroy anything, everything. Everything in existence. Nothing can survive that, nothing...all matter, it just falls apart."

Donna's eyes widened as far as Bella's. She turned to the screen.

"The stars are going out."

That was what Rose had said. That was why she had worked so hard to get back to him, to stop everything from dying.

"What?" asked Bella, confused.

"Oh, it's what Rose said. When she was in her parallel world..." Donna trailed off, noticing the expression on Bella's face.

"What is it Bella?"

Her eyes had widened at the mention of yet another time traveller. Donna's suspicions rose even higher of the young Time Lady.

"Oh...It's nothing." She bit her lip, and turned away, leaving Donna without an explanation for yet another round of odd behaviour.

A sudden thought occurred to Donna, taking her mind off Bella.

"Oh my..." She brought her hands up to her face in shock.

"What is it?" asked Bella, concerned.

"The people...they were rounding up the people, taking them. They must have..." Donna didn't need to finish her sentence, because they both new how it would end.

"What are we going to do?" asked Donna after a while.

Bella looked up to her and sighed.

"I've got a backup plan that I'd never use, an idea that's just a bit too crazy, and a plan that falls apart even inside my head...and that's all I've got...at the moment of course."

Donna raised an eyebrow.

"What's the backup plan?"

"You really, really don't want to know."

"Let's just say I do..." Donna drifted off once she spotted Bella's face. "Ok then, crazy idea?"

Bella breathed deeply.

"Blow 'em up."

"Uh huh."

Bella shrugged her shoulder's dismissively.

"It's how Jack usually solves problems."

"Jack? Harkness? _Captain _Jack Harkness?"

"Yes...what about him? Do you know him?"

Once again, Donna found herself in complete confusion.

"Ok, before we do anything else, I need to know something."

Bella nodded slowly.

"Who _are_ you? How do you know about Sarah Jane, Jack and Jenny? How do you know about Martha and the Sontaran invasion? How did you _know_ that someday you would walk into the TARDIS and find me in here? How-"

"The Doctor told me."


	4. Chapter 4

"_Who are you? How do you know about Sarah Jane, Jack and Jenny? How do you know about Martha and the Sontaran invasion? How did you know that someday you would walk into the TARDIS and find me in here? How-"_

"_The Doctor told me."_

Donna stared at her. For the first time since Bella had walked in, she looked directly into Donna's eyes, with no fear, or nervousness. Somehow, just by looking directly at her, Donna could feel the girl pressing herself into her. Suddenly, Donna got the feeling that she'd said something wrong. She'd somehow crossed an invisible line that hadn't been there before.

"The _Doctor_ told you this was going to happen? He _knew_? How?" Donna could barely keep her voice contained.

There was something going on here, and Donna wanted to get to the bottom of it. There is something very strange about this girl; she knew details of Donna's life that she shouldn't, and she knew of events that are yet to come.

Bella's chocolate eyes grew in intensity.

"The Doctor that you know has no knowledge of these events, and I cannot describe them in detail to you, nor to him. Time is not a straight line, _Donna Noble_. At any moment it can be changed, twisted, moved; and as for me that is most certainly the case. The Doctor that I know, is one from the future, and believe me when I say he is quite a different man than the one you know. He told me only a few details, just so I would be prepared when the time came, for he did not know himself. I am sorry that I cannot tell you more, Donna, for I don't know myself. All that I do know, I _have _told you."

Donna took a step back, unable to take her gaze away from the girl in front of her. The intense look that she was giving Donna sent shivers down her spine. It was exactly the same expression the Doctor has on his face whenever he faces a terrible monster; deep and powerful, it was as if those eyes kept a dark rage that Donna most certainly didn't want released. It was definitely not a good idea to get on the wrong side of a Time Lord, or Lady for that matter.

"Oh."

Bella's features relaxed, her way of showing Donna that she was grateful for acknowledging the position she was in. Bella's chocolate eyes became softer and she nodded slowly, and a piece of silent understanding passed between them. Bella turned back to the console, and pressed a button bringing up a new view on the screen.

Now free from Bella's piercing eyes, Donna breathed a sigh of relief, and hoped that she didn't notice. Bella couldn't tell her anything that she didn't know herself. Taking in a large breath, Donna walked over to the console to stand just behind Bella. She put a gentle hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"I understand now."

"Thank you." Bella's voice was barely about a whisper, and it sounded forced.

Confused, Donna looked to her face, and spotted the unmistakable signs of tears.

"I just don't know what to do." said Bella in a shaky voice, her hands reaching for her face to wipe away the evidence of her tears.

"Come here." said Donna, almost instinctively, pulling Bella into an embrace.

Donna could feel Bella's arms tighten around her waist, as her body shook when she breathed.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something, I mean, we're in a time machine, muck it up the first time and you can go back..." her joking voice trailed off as Bella pulled back.

"What is it?"

Bella's eyes lit up, and the spark that Donna recognised from the first time she saw her returned in a flourish. Her tears dissappeared instantly and her face spread into a wide grin.

"_Time. _TIME! Time, time, time, time, TIME! That's it! Donna you're a genius!" She cried, clapping her hands together gleefully, while jumping up and down on the spot in a manner that reminded Donna of the phrase '_kid in a candy store'._

She spun on her heel and turned back to the console, her hands flying across it's many controls and buttons.

"Because the Daleks are one second out of sync of the universe, I could use that to create...Oh this is brilliant!"

"What is? Have you got a plan?" Hope filled Donna, and she could barely contain her happiness as the young girl danced around the console.

Bella looked up at her and ran over. She grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"I've got a plan!!" She laughed out loud, and the sound was so musical it surprised Donna.

"First of all, I'll need to get those planets out of there...any ideas?"

Bella was practically bouncing.

"Well, the dalek ship- the crucible whatever- brought them there so-"

"It could bring them back! Oh wait, we'll need to make sure the Daleks don't realise what we're going to do..." Her sentence trailed off as she ran out of the console room, with Donna hot on her heels.

"Where are you going?" called Donna after her.

_Boy, are all Time Lords-Ladies-whatever this fast?_

"Got it! Gosh, I can't _believe_ he just keeps all this junk lying around..."

Donna ran into a small room she didn't even realise existed. It could have been called a bedroom, except for the fact the bed looked unslept in, and the floor was covered in numerous pieces of technology. She spotted Bella sitting on the ground with one of the more intact pieces of equipment. Donna stepped over a large green object that appeared to ooze and slowly walked towards Bella.

"What is this room?" she asked, glancing around, and spotting what appeared to be a radio from the 1960s lying in pieces on top of the cupboard.

"The Doctor's bedroom."

"He _sleeps_?"

Bella snickered quietly and handed a large pipe-looking thing into Donna's hands. She jumped up and pushed past Donna, heading back for the console room. Donna turned to follow her with the pipe, pausing as she noticed a picture frame on the only clear space in the room. The bedside table housed only a picture frame, and unlike the rest of the room, was not occupied by a dismantled radio. In the frame, Donna recognised the Doctor's bright smile easily, and to her surprise, a blonde haired woman, whom she quickly realised was Rose Tyler. The happiness on her face was a dramatic contrast to the woman she had met on the parallel world. That woman was so sad, so serious, so hurt.

"Come on Donna! It's time to get the bad guys!"

Bella's call came floating down the hall and into the bedroom, disrupting Donna's thoughts. She turned away from the lone picture, suddenly realising how much more was at stake if she and Bella could not stop the Daleks.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Moving from Australia to the US and then back again= zero time for writing and updating fanfics! Hopefully know that everything has settled down (for now...) I can get back to updating more often! As always...R&R!**

"_Come on Donna! It's time to get the bad guys!"_

_Bella's call came floating down the hall and into the bedroom, disrupting Donna's thoughts. She turned away from the lone picture, suddenly realising how much more was at stake if she and Bella could not stop the Daleks._

**

"What's your plan then?" Donna asked Bella as she ran back into the console room.

"In order for the Daleks to hide, they took the entire Medusa Cascade one second out of sync with the rest of the universe. Now, that creates their own little time bubble, which, if I'm smart enough, and I really hope I am, I _should_ be able to trap them in their own little bubble prison." Bella spoke very fast, but Donna, having lots of practise with the Doctor's quick paced nonsense, could understand everything.

"You're going to trap them inside their own hiding place?"

"Bingo!"

Bella's grin was so wide it was infectious. Very soon, Donna could feel the sides of her mouth drifting upwards.

"But what's this going to do?" Donna motioned to the funny looking contraption that Bella had patched together using pieces of random technology she had found on the Doctor's bedroom floor.

"This is going to _hopefully_ make the Dalek's weapon fire... not fire." She frowned slightly, annoyed by her own choice of words.

Then the expression was gone, replaced by the previous gleeful grin.

"Maximum power!" cried Bella, hitting a lever on the console.

The whole TARDIS suddenly lit up, and the engines roared to life.

**

Suddenly, an unnatural grating sound pierced the silence, accompanied by an all too familiar wind. All eyes in the vault darted the source of the sound, as that Blue Box materialised like a beacon of light in the darkness.

"But that's..." The Doctor couldn't finish his own sentence, but Jack did for him.

"Brilliant!" He breathed, his eyes glowing in a mixture of relief and triumph.

Glittering light shone through the windows, and when the doors opened, it shrouded the occupant in a haze. The figure stepped out of the doors, a massive grin on their face. It was a girl, no more than seventeen, with wavy blonde hair tied up into a loose ponytail, and a cheeky expression planted on her face.

"When Davros was calling the roll for the Children of Time, did someone remember to tell him I'd be a bit late?"

**

Even before the TARDIS doors had opened, the Doctor had known who was going to walk out. Something had stirred at the back of his mind, a long lost sense that he hadn't used in a long time. The presence of a Time Lord.

He had last felt it with the Master, but that had been different. This Time Lord, whoever they were, he had never met, but felt that instant tug of his mind as he recognised their existence.

It was impossible that they could even exist. There was no possible way, no loophole, no law of physics that could warrant, prove or even theorise their existence. But there she stood.

All the Doctor could do was watch as this girl- she was so young; the Doctor doubted she had even reached the stage where her body stopped ageing and started regenerating- as she leapt from the TARDIS, with a smile that shouted triumph.

Her features startled him; she looked too much like Rose. And then the Doctor's eyes widened, as the wheels in his Time Lord mind started turned at a thousand miles an hour.

**

Her chocolate eyes scanned across the chamber in which the TARDIS has landed, and settled on Davros. She knew she had only a few moments to connect the de-stabiliser before the Daleks would open fire. But time came naturally for a Time Lady; she could feel each millisecond pass like an hour, as her senses allowed her body to prepare for a very big leap, which could possibly end in disaster. But somehow, Bella knew that it could, or would end in that way.

She braced her legs, allowed adrenaline to fill every part of her body; she would need every advantage she would get.

Then she leapt.

**

The Doctor had recognised the device in her hand. He knew what it was capable of.

Unfortunately, so did Davros.

**

"NO!" Cried the Doctor, but it was already too late.

The shot of electricity hit Bella directly in the chest, freezing her in place, her expression frozen in pain. She dropped the device she was holding, and collapsed to the floor, unable to move, and gasping.

"Activate holding cell." Davros' rasping voice commanded.

The blue light of the holding cell came down around Bella's figure, who was still struggling in pain.

"Bella!"

Donnas' shrill cry echoed across the vault as she raced to the girl's side and picked up the device.

"What do I do? Bella! Argh!" Davros' electric bolt hit Donna in the chest, sending her flying backwards and out of sight.

"Donna!" Cried the Doctor.

"Destroy the weapon." Commanded Davros to the nearest Dalek.

His gaze then darted to the blonde who had emerged from the TARDIS.

"Who is this?" he shrieked, a finger pointed directly at Bella, who had stood up.

She glared at him.

"A Child of Time!" She declared dramatically, waving her hands around her head.

She then turned to the Doctor, who stared at her, his expression one of absolute shock.

"Oi! And don't you tell them either!" She raised a finger and pointed at him, with an look a mother might wear when she was disciplining a child.

"Doctor, who is that?" asked Rose, her eyes staring in shock at the young girl who looked so much like her.

But the Doctor had turned away, his face back to the screen.

"Never mind that, now there's no way to stop the reality bomb."

"Stand witness Time Lord, stand witness humans. Your strategies have failed, your weapons are useless. And oh, the end of the universe has come." Davros' voice was dripping with glee as he watched the horror on human and Time Lord face's alike.

They watched the screen, the detonator was counting down. The cries of the Dalek's were triumphant.

No one noticed Donna Noble slowly rising up from behind the control interface...


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! It's so good to see that you all haven't given up on my disastrous updating skills, and still remember this story! All settled in...Back to school...Ect. With enough luck I'll be able to update a lot more now. As always, R&R! **

_They watched the screen, the detonator was counting down. The cries of the Dalek's were triumphant. _

_No one noticed Donna Noble slowly rising up from behind the control interface..._

_**_

"Five, four, three, two, one..."

The screen fizzled and died. An alarm started to ring, causing every being in the vault, Daleks included, to look around in confusion. The only person who didn't seem too concerned for anything was Bella. She stood there, arms folded, with a sly grin on her face.

"Aannd...Closing all Z-Neutrino relay loops using an internalised synchronous back-feed reversal loop! That button there!" Donna's grin was huge.

If the Doctor's eyes couldn't get any wider, they just did.

"Donna...You can't even change a plug!" he uttered with disbelief.

"You wanna bet Time-Boy?"

"You will suffer for this!" Shrieked Davros, and pointed at Donna with his electrical finger.

Donna raised an eyebrow, and her hands went to work on the controls in front of her.

"Arrgh!" Cried Davros as he was shocked by his own weapon.

"Ohh... Bioelectric dampening field with a retrogressive arc inversion."

The Doctor's mouth dropped in shock. His wasn't the only one.

"Exterminate her!" cries Davros.

Donna's hands once again fly over the controls, not bothered at all with the fact that a Dalek was approaching her.

"Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!"

But nothing happened. If you could imagine a Dalek face, put a dumbfounded expression on it and you'd get probably something very close to what the Daleks in the vault was feeling at that second.

"Weapons non-functional!"

"Ooh...Fail." Snorted Bella, struggling to keep a giggle suppressed.

"What? Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix?" Donna's grin was glowing with triumph.

The Doctor was absolutely flabbergasted.

"How did you work that out? You're..."

"Part Time Lord."

Bella's voice startled everyone. They turned back to face her.

"Biological Metacrisis." She proclaimed, though it answered only one person's question.

"But that would mean...Where is..." The Doctor's face turned from Bella to Donna.

"Oh...but you see, it was really only half of one. You see, when I touched the hand, the energy fed back into me, BUT," Donna paused, her eyes briefly glancing at Bella, "the heart of the TARDIS was opened, and it soaked all the energy up! The TARDIS got a look into your future, and brought me to her!"

Donna beamed at Bella, and then caught sight of the look on her face for the first time. She shook her head in disbelief.

"You knew, didn't you?"

All of the attention suddenly shot back to Bella, whose stance hadn't changed.

"Welll..." She grinned while rocking her head from side to side.

"Who are you?" asked Sarah Jane.

Bella blinked and stared at her.

"No way! Sarah Jane! Great to see ya! How's Luke?" She asked conversationally.

Sarah Jane's eyes widened.

"How did you-"

"Never mind that...Donna...do ya think you could...?" Bella pointed to the force shield that was trapping her.

"Oh yes, of course!" Answered Donna, and the shields were lowered instantly.

Bella ran to Donna's side and grabbed a piece of equipment.

"Thank you Donna! Now...about these..."

While Donna and Bella fumbled over the controls, Jackie leapt to Rose's side once the shield had been lowered.

"What's going on...Who is that?" She whispered under her breath to Rose.

Rose shook her head.

"I have no idea."

"How come she looks like you?"

"I just...I don't..."

Rose shrugged off Jackie's questions, and turned back to watch what was happening.

"Stop them! Get away from the controls!" Shrieked Davros.

Donna smiled and flicked a switch.

"Aand...spin."

All eyes watched as the Daleks froze, and began to spin around. Jack laughed and pointed at them.

"And...The other way!"

Bella giggled and grinned. The Doctor turned back to Donna.

"What did you do?"

"Ooh...Looked like a trip-stitch circuit-breaker in the psycho-kinetic threshold manipulator to me," Bella paused and turned to Donna, "am I right?"

"Bingo!" chuckled Donna.

The two women grinned and clapped high fives, much to everyone's surprise.

"Why didn't I ever think of that?" wondered the Doctor.

Bella burst out laughing, which she quickly stifled into a cough after catching Donna's eye.

"Because...you are just a Time Lord! You dumbo! Lacking that little bit of Human, that gut instinct that goes hand-in-hand with planet Earth. I could think of ideas that you couldn't dream of in a million years! Ah, the universe has been waiting for me! Now... let's send that trip-stitch all over the ship. Did I ever tell you-"

She grinned.

"Best temp in Chiswick? A hundred words per minute!"

Bella beamed. Donna's fingers flew over the controls and Bella joined in with earnest.

"Oi! Time-boy! Wanna lend a hand?"

The Doctor wasn't listening to Donna though. His gaze had fallen onto Bella again.

"Time Lord."

Every eye fell back to the Doctor. Bella's eyes glanced lazily in his general direction, seeming quite oblivious to his obvious disbelief.

"Time _Lady_, actually. In case you didn't notice." Bella's sarcastic drawl drew even more stares.

"Wait-what?" gaped Rose.

"She's a Time Lord." Repeated the Doctor.

"_Lady_!" corrected Bella, this time a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"You shouldn't exist! It's completely impossible!"

This time Bella turned directly towards the Doctor, who stared at her intently, that Bella returned in a gaze of equal intensity.

"You know, you use that term way too loosely. Impossible this, impossible that...Come on! I'm standing right here, so how could I not exist?" Bella rolled her eyes. "Now, let's focus on the task at hand..." She turned back to the console on which Donna's fingers were still typing fervently.

"Trip stitch all done; seal the vault!" Cried Donna in a triumphant voice.

**

It took a lot for the Doctor to drag his mind away from the Time Lady in front of time. There was just no way that she could be standing there. He really needed to focus, but all he could think about was _her_.

**

"Bah!" Grumbled Bella, banging a piece of equipment.

"What is it?" Asked Donna, sensing the annoyance in her voice.

"My plan! It's not working! I just need this-"she pointed to a large button-"to connect to this-"a large lever-"but it won't! I need help, I need..." Her voice trailed off as she turned to Rose with a grave face.

"I need your help." Her voice was heavy with nervousness, and her eyes didn't quite meet Rose's, as if she was afraid of something.

Rose was startled for a second, but quickly hid her shock as she shuffled her feet, and looked at every face that was now staring at her.

"I...I don't know what you mean." Rose didn't make eye contact.

Bella took a step towards her.

"You know I would never ask unless the fate of the universe was hanging in the balance. And it is..." Rose took a step back.

"How do you know?" She whispered fiercely, staring at Bella.

"What's going on?" Asked the Doctor, exchanging a glance between the two women.

"I just do. You can do it. I just need this _one_ thing..."

"No! I haven't told anyone, no one knows! How do you?" Rose's voice was louder this time, with anger and fear dripping in.

"What?" Bella was startled to hear this. She looked around the room in surprise. They were either staring at her, or at Rose, including the Doctor. His eyes couldn't be torn from Rose. Bella shook her head in denial and her eyes widened.

"No. This isn't right...this is..."

She spun back towards Rose, who had been slowly backing away from the ominous stares from all parties.

The shock in Rose's eyes said it all.

"Oh my gosh," Her hands flew to her mouth as she stared at Rose. "This is before everyone knew. This is before the _Doctor_ even knew."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I mention the species "Electant" in this chappie quite a bit... They are from another fanfic of mine titled "Steph's Story" and "The Sparks in the Mainframe". If you want a little more back-story on them...take a look =) As always R&R!**

"_Oh my gosh," Her hands flew to her mouth as she stared at Rose. "This is before everyone knew. This is before the Doctor even knew."_

"Before the Doctor knew what?" He looked at Rose and Bella curiously.

Bella was stock still, a mixture of horror and shock spread across her face. Her eyes met with Rose's, and she knew to stop.

"No-nothing! Now...Doctor, Donna! Let's all send those planets back home!" Bella's shock instantly disappeared and she turned back to the console in front of her, avoiding eye contact with all those around her, Timelord and human alike.

But all eyes remained fixated on both her and Rose. Rose shuffled her feet, awkward from all the attention. She kept her eyes diverted away, even under the strong scrutiny of the Doctor, so no one could see the small tears slowly forming.

"Doctor! Donna!"

Bella's wide grin was back, and so was the sly look in her eyes.

"Let's send those planets back home!" Donna shouted gleefully, turning away from the awkward scene in front of her.

The Doctor remained still. _What was going on?_

**

The wheels were turning inside Rose's head at a million miles an hour.

_How did she know? Who is she? The Doctor said Time Lady...But they're extinct! He said so...so many times...that's why he feels so alone. But there she is...just standing there...staring at me. Why? No one, not even mum or Mickey knows. No one. _

_What is going on?_

**

"Aha!" In another attempt at distracting various species away from the increasing awkward situation that was forming in front of her, Bella let out a cry of triumph.

"What is it?" Asked Donna, who was also eager to continue saving the universe, and deal with whatever this was later.

"I recognise this technology! Finally! Ooohh..Look at that." Bella's eyes scrunched up in curiosity. "That's Electant."

"What?" The Doctor managed to tear his focus away from Rose for a split second; as yet another shock entered his system.

"How do Daleks get a hold of a dead species' technology?" He asked in surprise.

"Did you ask that when the Daleks had the Ark in Torchwood?" Asked Bella quietly, not looking up.

Both the Doctor and Rose drew breath sharply. Bella noticed, but didn't acknowledge it. She continued to stare into the machinery in front of her. The Doctor had had enough. He stalked over to Bella and grabbed her arm.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Bella didn't look at him, but she pulled away from his grip. She turned to the group, humans and Time Lords alike.

"I'm Bella. I'm a Time Lord. I'm seventeen years old and I'm gonna save your lives and the lives of every other human on the planet below." She looked directly into the Doctor's eyes. "Got a problem with that?"

**

"Donna...you grab that...yeah that! Doctor over this side now. It's time to send these planets back home!"

Bella had taken control. No one was standing around anymore; they were working in perfect harmony with her instructions.

"Of you go Clom!" Cried the Doctor.

"So long Adipose 3!"

Mickey and Jack had taken their guns from inside the TARDIS and now had them trained on the remaining Daleks and Davros in the room. Sarah Jane and Martha were watching Bella, Donna and the Doctor with an intense interest. Jackie had moved once again to Rose's side.

"What haven't you told anyone? What haven't you told me?" She asked.

"Nothing!" squeaked Rose, as her voice failed.

"That Bella girl was talking about needing your help, and that she would only ask if the fate of the universe was at stake. Why?"

"I don't know."

But Jackie knew her daughter well enough to know when she was hiding something.

"You're hiding something. From me. Darling, you know you can tell me anything..." Jackie's voice softened as she put her hand on Rose's arm.

"It's nothing!" Rose shrugged her mother's hand off and walked closer to the console, leaving Jackie shocked.

Little did they know that a certain 17 year old Time Lord had watched the entire exchange.

**

"That's it, almost all gone!" Donna was grinning from ear to ear.

_This could work after all!_ She thought to herself.

Suddenly the roof of the vault opened to reveal the Supreme Dalek. It had barely entered the room before the familiar cries of "exterminate!" could be heard. Bella was the first to spot the intruder.

"Look out!" She shrieked, ducking for cover.

The Doctor only just managed to leap out of the path of the Dalek's ray before the console exploded in front of him. That managed to be the only thing the Supreme Dalek could destroy, before both Mickey and Jack had trained their weapons on it.

Bella peeked over the top of the console just as Jack and Mickey fired.

"Ew...Fried Dalek."

She then turned her attention back to the console, and to her horror, the Supreme Dalek had managed to some serious damage. The Doctor's thoughts mirrored her own.

"Argh! No! It's broken!"

"Did all the planets get home?" Asked Martha.

"Ye-no! Just one and guess which one it is."

"The only one it ever is." Muttered Bella.

"But it's OK, I can hook it up to the TARDIS..." And then the Doctor was off and running again, this time disappearing into the TARDIS.

Donna turned back to Bella, who was moving at a pace to rival the Doctor's all over the console.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Making sure that every last Dalek never hurts anyone again." Replied Bella, her voice determined.

"But how are you going to do that?" Asked Jack. "In case you didn't notice, we are rather outnumbered."

"And didn't you just say that you couldn't do it?" Added Sarah Jane.

Bella smiled.

"That was before I knew it was Electant technology."

"But that technology hasn't been seen for nearly 4,000 years!" Exclaimed the Doctor, who had recently returned from his jaunt into the TARDIS.

"5,000 actually. But I know an expert."

"How? The Electants are extinct!"

Bella smiled.

"Not all of them. Now...help me with this will ya?"

The Doctor's eyes widened, but he did what he was told.

"Now...If I can get this to go...Oh no." Bella's face fell, but only for a second. Her expression grew soft, and then into one of determination.

"What is it? What happened?" Chorused the Doctor and Donna.

"Nothing! Now get everyone into the TARDIS..." Her voice drifted off as she dashed around the console, her hands working faster than anything the Doctor could pull off.

But no one moved. They could tell that something was wrong. Rose was the first to act.

"Bella?" Rose moved towards the console, and the frantic girl that was dashing around it.

Bella paused, but only to look at the crowd around her.

"Go! I've managed to put it on a timer; we have only a couple of seconds left before this place becomes a Dalek pen and we won't have the key to get out!" She yelled.

On that note, movement did occur. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Come on people! Move, move, move!" Bella pushed Rose towards the TARDIS, and ran back to the console.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows but quickly opened the doors, standing in the doorway to make sure that everyone got inside.

"Let's go! Jackie, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Rose, Martha, Donna, Jack!" The Doctor looked around, and spotted Bella next to the console.

"Come on! Set the timer for five seconds and let's go!"

Bella paused and turned back to him, and pulled something out of her pockets. It was a Sonic Screwdriver, almost identical to the Doctor's, except that it was a more green-y silver colour than blue. There was a tear in her eyes. The Doctor's eyes widened as he suddenly realised.

"But you set the timer!" He cried.

Bella raised her screwdriver, as she put her hand on a lever and pulled.

"I lied. Bye Dad. Say goodbye to mum for me."

**A/N: I can't remember who it was, but someone guessed who Bella was, and congrats! You got it completely correct! Kudos to anyone else who guessed as well =)**

**OMG! Thank you to all that spotted that blaring mistake...I accidentally called Bella "Steph" for a couple of lines! OOPS! I was writing another fanfic at the same time, and it seems that the two crossed over for a bit there! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I've only just realised that I haven't done a disclaimer this entire story. So here it is. **

**I own nothing. Please don't sue. I honestly can't afford it.**

**As always, R&R!**

"_But you set the timer!" He cried._

_Bella raised her screwdriver, as she put her hand on a lever and pulled._

"_I lied. Bye Dad. Say goodbye to mum for me."_

The TARDIS doors slammed in the Doctor's face as he screamed.

"NO!"

Behind him, the centre console began groaning. The TARDIS was taking off. The Doctor raced back up to the console and frantically began pushing buttons. He even pulled out his screwdriver and ran through every setting he could think of.

"Stop, stop, stop, STOP!"

"Doctor what's happening?"

The Doctor froze as he heard Rose's concerned voice next to him. He turned around to see her standing there, her eyes wide with fright. The Doctor's eyes then scanned across the TARDIS. Every eye mirrored hers.

"Where's Bella?" Asked Donna. "Why is the TARDIS taking off? Why are you leaving her behind?"

"I'm no- I can't...She..." The Doctor's hand ran frantically through his hair.

A loud bleeping noise suddenly rang through the TARDIS, distracting its occupants, and thrusting the Doctor into deeper turmoil.

"Doctor, if this is what I think it is..." Jack caught sight of the screen and his voice trailed off.

The Doctor grabbed the screen and pulled it towards him. His eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief.

"No..." He whispered.

Rose put her hand on the Doctor's arm.

"Doctor, please..." Her voice was soft.

The Doctor's eyes clouded and he didn't look at her, instead focusing on the console in front of him.

"It was a Dead-man's switch. She sacrificed herself to make sure that we got away, with the Earth in tow." His voice was toneless; it chilled every spine.

"Oh god." Martha's sentiment echoed most of the thoughts in the room.

"What!?" Donna eyes widened. She had only met the girl what seemed like for only a couple of minutes before she was already sacrificing her life for their safety. She shook her head in defiance.

"But we've got to go back! We've got to save her!" She cried.

The Doctor didn't look up.

"It's impossible. We only just got away. She must have installed some kind of program in the TARDIS, because she activated it the second she flicked the switch. It pulled the TARDIS, and the Earth out of the field before time was suspended inside it."

Rose had been listening intently, and she could tell that there was something else the Doctor wasn't telling them. She knew him well enough to understand when something was very wrong.

"What did she say?"

The Doctor looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

Rose's brown eyes met the Doctor's.

"She said something didn't she, before we took off. What was it?"

"Nothing." He didn't make eye contact. Rose narrowed her eyes.

"Take us back. We've got to go back! We've got to save her!" Cried Donna.

"It's impossible. Time was suspended inside that realm of space. She knew that once she activated the time bubble, there was no possible way for her to escape."

He turned to Donna.

"End of the line."

Donna shook her head in disbelief.

"But you're the Doctor! You can fix anything! You can save her!"

The Doctor turned away, back to the console and flicked a few switches.

"Not this time."

"No! I refuse to believe that!"

"Doctor..." Jack once again spoke up, his worried eyes still trained on the screen.

The Doctor dashed over to his side, pulling the screen toward him and flicking a few switches on the console in the process.

"What is it?" Asked Martha, recognising the looks on both Jack and the Doctor's faces.

"The atmospheric shell is deteriorating; we've got to get the Earth back now..."

Rose had remained silent throughout the entire exchange the wheels turning inside her head. She swallowed and breathed deeply, knowing full well what she was about to do, and the potential costs.

"No."

"What?" This time it was Jackie who spoke up.

"I won't let you leave her there." Rose stared intently into the back of the Doctor's head. He remained still, and focusing on the screen, but Rose knew he was listening to her every word.

"That girl saved all our lives, and you're just giving up? _There's no way to save her..._Of course there is!"

The Doctor turned back to her, his face dark.

"You don't think I've tried everything? The earth is slowly dying, and Bella gave her life to make sure that that doesn't happen. We have to get it back to its proper place now!" The Rose the Doctor remembered would have shrunk under his tone and gaze, but she stood, equal and unmoving. It disturbed the Doctor slightly.

She looked into his eyes, before turning away to everyone else who was staring intently at them both.

"The Doctor can't," Rose's voice was full of determination.

"But I can."

**

_He told me I would have to make a sacrifice. In order to save the universe, I had to save them. I should have realised earlier that this is what that means. _

_But that's ok. _

_I'll be fine._

_I'm always fine._

_**_

**Yes...I know. Terribly short chapter, but don't worry! The next one will be extra long to make up for it =)**

**R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have to say, I CANNOT believe how long it took for me to write this chapter... Huge case of writers block AND exam time. For all those readers in Australia, who have to suffer through VCE, I feel your pain. **

**Now, enough of my life story and here we go, extra long chapter to make up for the last one and the massive gap between updates. As always, R&R!**

"_The Doctor can't," Rose raised her head to look at every single being in front of her. _

"_But I can."_

She closed her eyes and hummed.

She could hear their shouts, their cries of shock, but they were slowly fading away into the background.

She wasn't afraid. Not this time.

**

Time is easy to manipulate. Anyone should know that. It's always relative. What could be fifty seconds for one planet could be five hundred years for another.

And when you're in a ship that can control this piece of reality, it should be even easier.

And for Rose, it was.

**

This was the second time the Doctor had seen her like this. The first time he couldn't believe his eyes, and as for the second time, he didn't want to believe it. This wasn't possible, on so many planes of reality.

She had walked over to that fateful part of the TARDIS that had opened up and welcomed her all those years ago. She had closed her eyes and hummed. That's when the reality that the Doctor accepted and knew to be the truth was shattered, in the form of one twenty-five year old human.

It was like there was two of her, and the images keep flicking and switching between the two. One of them was the Rose that the Doctor remembered, the first time she was like this. The long hair, that red jacket. And then there was the new Rose, with a short hair and a purple jacket. Every few seconds, her image would change, like there was a battle inside which couldn't decide which Rose to show.

In his peripheral vision, the Doctor noticed that the humans in the room were shocked beyond measure. What they could be thinking, the Doctor couldn't guess. But whatever it was, from the looks on their faces, it was echoing fear.

**

Bella gasped and fell to the floor. Her screwdriver smashed on impact. Why did it have to do that? She had spent so long working on that. His never broke. It had even been through a washing machine and- wait, she was moving. Was she supposed to be moving? Do you move when time is suspended? Do you just keep going...and going and going? Do you just keep existing? What's the meaning of life?

Bella groaned a half laugh, half sigh and slowly opened her eyes, and dragged her arms beneath her. Several joints cracked while she stood up, much to her displeasure. She looked back down to her screwdriver. Yep. Definitely broken. Bits and pieces had scattered everywhere. Bella grumbled and looked away from her several hours of hard work to the rest of the room. Looking around, her eyes widened, and the destroyed screwdriver was forgotten. Nothing was moving. Davros and the Daleks were frozen.

Bella gulped. This couldn't be good.

But then an all too familiar wind blew past her face.

The TARDIS.

**

"Argh!" Rose screamed and collapsed to the floor, her hands cradling her head. Her image was frozen in the new Rose.

"It burns! I can't...I can't..."

**

The TARDIS materialised in front of her, a brilliant gleam bursting through the windows. Bella walked up slowly and pushed one door open.

Her eyes widened in surprise at those waiting inside, but then grinned and stepped across the threshold.

**

_Stop Rose._

Rose stood up and looked around. Everything was completely white; she couldn't see a thing.

"Where am I?"

_Where I am always._

"Who was that?"

_You've got to stop. _

"Stop what?"

The last thing Rose could remember was being inside the TARDIS, and allowing the part of herself that she had kept hidden for so long to emerge for all to see.

"It's you isn't it?"

_Yes._

"What's happening?"

_You need to stop._

"What? Why?"

_She has already been saved._

Rose's eyes widened and she finally understood.

_**_

"Mickey! Hold that lever down, Jack-"

"I've got it!"

"Good... Martha, this here...very good Sarah Jane!"

Who was saying that? Rose knew the voice so well...

"Donna, you've got that..."

"Of course I've got it-"

She didn't want to open her eyes, so she let her senses explore. She was sitting upright, her back leaning against something rather hard and uncomfortable. Probably the railings of the TARDIS. She could feel a soft wind very close to her cheek, which probably meant that someone was sitting next to her. She couldn't feel any pain, and that splitting headache that she felt so briefly only what felt like a few seconds ago, had disappeared.

"That's it!"

There was that voice again.

"Yes! Aha!"

Cries of delight could be heard echoing about the control room. It seems there were quite a few people near Rose, and they all seemed to be celebrating something.

"Hey Doctor!"

Doctor? Doctor! _The_ Doctor!

"What?"

That was the Doctor's voice! How could Rose have forgotten that? That voice was the reason for everything; the reason she risked her life over and over again, just to get back to _him._

"Look..." Whoever this other voice was, because it definitely wasn't the Doctor's, had lowered several decibels, to a low whisper.

Whilst the other voices remained happily shouting and gleeful, Rose noticed the Doctor's had disappeared from the bunch. That, and the soft breeze against Rose's hair (the person, whoever he or she was, had not moved) kept Rose aware that something was wrong. Perhaps it was the fact that she _still_ hadn't opened her eyes, despite several minutes of consciousness.

"Oh Rose. What did you do?"

Rose was slightly startled. That was the Doctor, and he was very close, almost as close as the breathing person.

"Doctor, what's wrong with her? What happened? She was just there and then..."

That voice was also very close. It must be the breathing person.

"I don't know Jackie."

_Jackie...Mum!_

"Why won't she wake up?"

A sigh could be heard.

"I don't know. Whatever it was that happened, it's beyond my knowledge."

_What happened? Oh, the whole blacking out thing._

"But your face; you'd seen her like that before, haven't you?"

"Yes. Just the once. I thought she was going to die. And then she didn't."

"What happened?"

"She took the time vortex into her head and destroyed the Daleks. No one should be able to survive that. But for some reason, she did. And now...It was just like before Jackie. She should be dead, and she didn't even open up the TARDIS! It just...Rose is something very different, and very special. She's not just any old human."

At this, Rose couldn't hold it in any longer. She snorted.

"Rose? Rose!" Jackie and the Doctor's voices cried out in surprise.

"Yes, I do believe that is my name." Rose smiled and opened her eyes.

The worried faces of Jackie, the Doctor, Donna, Sarah Jane, Mickey and Jack were all looking down on her. Smiles erupted on their faces, before they were replaced by gasps. Jackie leapt back from her daughter, staring at her like she was some kind of freak. The Doctor's face grew dark. Rose frowned.

"What?" She asked, confused by the sudden hostility.

"Doctor! What's wrong with her? What's happened to her eyes?" Cried Jackie, torn between fear and love for her child.

Rose's breath caught in her throat and her hands flew to her eyes, and began rubbing them.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" She chocked out.

"Rose..." The Doctor's voice was very quiet. He reached out and pulled her hands away from her eyes. Rose stared at him, a mixture of fear and worry quite evident on her face.

Slowly the Doctor lifted his hands to her temples. Rose's eyes widened before her world spun once again.

**

The sky was scorched, the earth was blackened. A ferocious storm blew winds strong enough to rip out trees, as lightning repeatedly struck the ground. There was dust, so much dust. It flew in the wind, biting at everything that fell in its path. There was nothing except chaos, everywhere the eye could see.

This is where Rose found herself, all alone, in this desolate, uninhabitable place. She turned in circles, desperately searching for some kind of reprieve from the chaos; a sanctuary. She turned to the horizon. There was nothing except dust and blackened earth. She turned to the sky. Red clouds and thunderous claps...and there it was. A tiny hole between two enormous and threatening clouds. A tiny patch and blue sky, so peaceful and serene.

"What is this place?" Rose wondered aloud.

"A representation of my mind."

Rose jumped and spun on her heel. Her eyes scanned the foreboding landscape for the source of the voice, until she saw him.

"What?" Rose eyed him suspiciously.

"This is what my mind would look like if it was a place." He replied simply.

"Why am I here?"

"Because, for some reason, your mind is closed to me."

Rose narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"If you wanted to know what was going on inside my mind you could have just asked."

"You know it's not like that-"

"Then what's it like hmm? That I'm some sort of freak? Someone stuck between two different types of existence that requires _your_ expert opinion to decide what's best for them? Give me a break Doctor, I know what's going on." Snapped Rose coldly.

The Doctor was startled by this.

"What?" He asked dumbly, a reflex action that responded automatically to this sudden revelation.

"You heard me. I know what's happening."

The Doctor remained silent. Rose shook her head.

"Oh, and another thing... when were you going to tell me that Bella was our daughter?"

**

"What's happening?" Whispered Jackie. She turned to the dark-skinned man on her right. "Mickey?"

"No idea Jackie. But I think it's gonna be ok."

They both turned back to watch the Doctor and Rose, frozen in their positions, the only evidence of life being the expressions that ran over their faces every few seconds.

"The Doctor's inside her mind."

"What?" The congregation turned to Martha, surprised.

She shuffled uncomfortably under the intense gazes, but held her ground.

"Timelords are psychic. He's inside her mind, trying to figure out what happened."

"What _did_ happen? I mean, one second she was totally fine, then she was almost... _flickering_ between two different versions of her. The Rose that left with the old Doctor...and now." Jackie's voice was distant and worried.

"Did something happen to her, when she left with the Doctor?" asked Sarah Jane, a curious expression forming on her face.

Mickey and Jackie exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean?" Asked Jackie.

"Time. It's time! Two different Roses, from two different times. For some reason, the old Rose is still present...It's the only way to explain the fact that she seemed to switch between the two!"

Jack found himself nodding in agreement.

"The Doctor said that!" Jackie exclaimed suddenly.

"What?"

"He said that this was the _second_ time she had been like that..." Jackie turned back to her daughter, suddenly seeing her in a brand new light.

"Rose looked in into the light, inside the TARDIS. The TARDIS is time, _and _it's alive. What if when she took the TARDIS into her body, the TARDIS took Rose into hers?"

**A/N: R&R like always! I love to hear your thoughts! =)**


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